Further adventures in rod building.

I completed the first one after what seemed like forever (it was actually like 8 months, mostly spent not ordering a single piece), and I figured I'd leap right into the Project 2, as everyone says "do a cheap one first."

Evidently, I'm doing two cheap ones first, as Project 2 can now be Project 3, or I can complete Project 3 before Project 2, or, I dunno.

What the fuck am I even saying?

Let's put it this way, the short of it is I'm doing another cheap rod. I mean, someone offers up a "rust brown" (which to my eyes is carroty diarrhea brown, really) for $22, who am I to pass it up? Especially when its a fiberglass 1/2 wt rod.

This, combined with a friend handing me a box of free winding thread means its a given.  Mostly because the colours of thread are all pretty out there, so how am I not going to use them?

So, with a box of pieces on order, its time to look at some wraps. With all luck, this one won't take as long.

Internet fishing forums are generally for assholes.

Line cleaning is a very important topic on FF'ing forums.

You the sort of guy who goes on fishing trips and actually talks about fishing?

Like to trade the awesome new secrets of Liechtenstein style nymphing with like minded, pro-spec and ultra serious fishermen?

Not into strippers?

Don't go here. If, however, a "fishing trip" is an excuse to enter into a multi-day bender without offending your loved ones (excepting those moments where bail bonds may be involved). If you're basically tired of fishing forums having to do with actual fishing and not just being random and stupid discussions with people who fish. If you want to discuss, vocally and with as much colourful fucking language as you can possibly jam into a post, the merits of ketchup-based sauces on meatloaf while maintaining a side bar as to why snowshoe is better than CDC, sweet holy Mother of Fuck, do I have a place for you.

http://www.otflyfish.com: Click the forums link across the top. Make an account. Log in. Post bullshit. Enjoy like minded assholes. Its an Interwebs forum for people who fish, but not really about fishing. Un-like minded assholes need not apply, and you will likely be chased off for sucking. There's places for you, instead.

Any idiot can make a fly rod.

I may, in fact, be a giant.

Proof? I did.

And all things considered (bourbon), it went pretty well.

God knows it took long enough, mostly due to laziness and a hatred of shipping charges, but with the "practice" rod out of the way, we can concentrate on doing a good one.

I picked up a Cabela's kit and a Garcia Conolon 2070 Lee Wulff blank, a 6' one piece with recommended line weights listed anywhere from 5 to 7. 

So far, I've tried it with an Air Cel 6WFF, and its goddamned sweet.

This is a stupid hobby.

There's a story with that.

Last year, it was all about the Usual. Shit, I blarged it and everything.

This year, I can't buy a fucking bite with it. At least not the sulphur variant. The grey fox or whatever version worked like gangbusters, but no bueno this year.

So, it was time to figure shit out. In so much as I decry assholes who speak Latin, there's a time and a place to have a vague idea of what's going on, and since it affected me, now was that time and place. Fortunatly, I had said vague clue, and I knew that sulphurs supposedly languished in emerger stage for a bit, and thus emergers will be effective.

So, a sulphur emerger pattern.

Googlating shit up turns up a few basic themes, and countless variants of them, both wet and dry. So there's a starting point, then it was just applying a little of what I've figured out to make it effective and interesting and "mine."

Now I can give it some sort of bullshit name and claim I invented it despite the fact that some greybeard has been fishing this exact same thing for the last 40 years and never thought it needed a name when "my sulphur emerger" was plenty fuckin' effective, and why waste letters there's war going on and we don't want Hitler to win.

Further thoughts on the Heritage Fly Shop, and shit. Mostly the former...

Its pretty fascinating the amount of hits I actually get for the Heritage Fly Shop. Good that people are looking for something about it, bad that my shit is polluting their minds. So, to try and not be a complete dick I guess I should make it quick to say the following helpful things:

One, there's no website. There's a Facebook page. Someday the universe will figure out that Facebook is out to fuck them and stop using it, but free is free and I get it.

Two, the contact information is on their Facebook page. For those of you who don't use Facebook, because you've figured out they're out to fuck you and stopped using it, I'll reprint the information below:

Heritage Fly Shop2643 Fish Hatchery RoadAllentown, PA 18103610-248-8836

Monday and Thursdays by appointment. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Friday through Sunday 9 to 2.

Three, you guys should totally buy something from the guy because he's just that nice, and while he doesn't have alot of high end shit (why bother, its a small storefront), he does everything you need on the stream (sundries, flies, etc) and what you'd want to tie your own when you got home. He also seems to have a steady assortment of really cool old custom rods that keep showing up. This is not the way to please me as I cannot afford them. Perhaps you can.

If you think he's giving me something, he's not. It would be nice, but I assure you no one actually wants my help. I'm just that motivated to pitch in.

Oh, and if you're wondering about Lehigh Valley sulphurs, the answer is "yes." More on that tomorrow. Or tonight. Or never. I am astoundingly lazy.